Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the 18-month old Palestinian baby, killed in an arson attack in the occupied West Bank, as Palestinian leaders condemned Israel's policy on settlements and dubbed the attack as "war crimes".

Family members buried Ali Saad Dawabsheh on Friday afternoon, as his four-year-old brother and their parents, both in extremely critical condition for major burns, are being treated at an Israeli hospital.

Settler violence against Palestinians 'not an isolated case'

Clashes erupted in Hebron following the funeral, and one person was reportedly shot and wounded by Israeli troops.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyuhu's settlement policy is to be blamed for the attacks in the West Bank.

"When the Israeli government encourages settlements everywhere, they’re also encouraging these thugs to carry out these attacks. This is a war crime and a tragedy for all of us."

"If the Israeli government and the Israeli army wanted to prevent the crime, they could have stopped the terrorists but they chose not to."

The Hamas government in Gaza has also condemned the latest incident, and called for "a day of fury in response to the relentless Zionist assaults on Jerusalem and the murder of toddler Ali in Nablus."

According to the UN, there had been at least 120 attacks by Israeli settlers since the beginning of 2015.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a rare telephone call to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, condemning the murder of the toddler and pledging a thorough investigation.

"We must fight terrorism together, regardless of which side it comes from," he added.

Netanyahu further told Abbas he had ordered the Israeli security forces to "use all measures to locate the murderers".

After speaking with Abbas, Netanyahu visited the Israeli hospital where the mother and brother of Dawabsheh were being treated for severe burns.

The Israel army issued a statement saying that they were trying to locate the suspects in the attack.

PHOTO CAPTION

A relative of 18-month-old Palestinian baby Ali Dawabsheh, who was killed after his family's house was set on fire in a suspected attack by Jewish extremists, mourns over his body during his funeral in Duma village near Nablus

The Israeli government has announced the "immediate construction" of some 300 new units at Beit El in the occupied West Bank as two illegally constructed buildings were demolished in the same area after a court order.

"After consultations in the prime minister's office, the immediate construction of 300 homes in Beit El has been authorized," Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday, adding that planning for another 504 homes in annexed east Jerusalem had also been approved.

According to the statement, the 300 units had been promised three years ago following the demolition of other homes in the Beit El settlement.

Earlier, settlers clashed with Israeli police as bulldozers demolished the two structures built on private Palestinian land.

A senior Palestine Liberation Organization official denounced the plans to build new homes as "war crimes" and accused Israel of sabotaging peace efforts.

The United Nations, European Union and the United States condemned Wednesday's announcement.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said "settlements are illegal under international law, an impediment to peace and cannot be reconciled" with Israel's "stated intention to pursue a two-state solution," his spokesman said in a statement released in New York.

A spokesman for the EU also said the decision called into question Israel's "stated commitment to a negotiated two-state solution in the Middle East peace process".

US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said "settlement expansion threatens the two-state solution and calls into question Israel’s commitment to a negotiated resolution to the conflict".

"The United States continues to view settlements as illegitimate... We continue to urge the Israeli government to refrain from unhelpful actions that undercut the possibility of a two-state solution," he said in a statement.

Settlers clash with police

The latest approval came after the Israeli High Court upheld a demolition order for the two structures.

The complex was deemed illegal because it was under construction without prior Israeli authorization.

Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reporting from Beit El said the two building housed 24 apartments that had no residents in.

"They [buildings] were not ready. They were empty but it is usually symbolic for the settlers here. We had a standoff with police early in the day and that got quiet violent but now things are relatively quiet," Dekker said.

The military moved in and removed protesters holed up inside, but hundreds of Jewish settlers gathered at the scene and some fought with Israeli forces, who responded by firing water cannons at the protesters.

New settlements

The new units announced by Benjamin Netanyahu's office are both in Beit El and elsewhere, including areas in east Jerusalem, which Israeli leaders say are inseparable neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

The Israeli government says these neighborhoods will remain a part of Israel under any future peace agreement, but the Palestinians consider them settlements and say construction there is illegal, a position backed by the international community.

Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967, and annexed east Jerusalem in a move that is not recognized internationally.

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of a pro-settler party, welcomed the announcement of the new units even as he criticized the top court's decision.

"The court's role is to judge; the government's role is to build," he said in a written statement. "We will build up the land of Israel, but in a legal and appropriate way."

PHOTO CAPTION

Hundreds of Jewish settlers gathered at the scene and some fought with Israeli forces who responded by firing water cannons [AFP]

The Israeli government has announced the "immediate construction" of some 300 new units at Beit El in the occupied West Bank as two illegally constructed buildings were demolished in the same area after a court order.

"After consultations in the prime minister's office, the immediate construction of 300 homes in Beit El has been authorized," Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday, adding that planning for another 504 homes in annexed east Jerusalem had also been approved.

According to the statement, the 300 units had been promised three years ago following the demolition of other homes in the Beit El settlement.

Earlier, settlers clashed with Israeli police as bulldozers demolished the two structures built on private Palestinian land.

A senior Palestine Liberation Organization official denounced the plans to build new homes as "war crimes" and accused Israel of sabotaging peace efforts.

The United Nations, European Union and the United States condemned Wednesday's announcement.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said "settlements are illegal under international law, an impediment to peace and cannot be reconciled" with Israel's "stated intention to pursue a two-state solution," his spokesman said in a statement released in New York.

A spokesman for the EU also said the decision called into question Israel's "stated commitment to a negotiated two-state solution in the Middle East peace process".

US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said "settlement expansion threatens the two-state solution and calls into question Israel’s commitment to a negotiated resolution to the conflict".

"The United States continues to view settlements as illegitimate... We continue to urge the Israeli government to refrain from unhelpful actions that undercut the possibility of a two-state solution," he said in a statement.

Settlers clash with police

The latest approval came after the Israeli High Court upheld a demolition order for the two structures.

The complex was deemed illegal because it was under construction without prior Israeli authorization.

Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reporting from Beit El said the two building housed 24 apartments that had no residents in.

"They [buildings] were not ready. They were empty but it is usually symbolic for the settlers here. We had a standoff with police early in the day and that got quiet violent but now things are relatively quiet," Dekker said.

The military moved in and removed protesters holed up inside, but hundreds of Jewish settlers gathered at the scene and some fought with Israeli forces, who responded by firing water cannons at the protesters.

New settlements

The new units announced by Benjamin Netanyahu's office are both in Beit El and elsewhere, including areas in east Jerusalem, which Israeli leaders say are inseparable neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

The Israeli government says these neighborhoods will remain a part of Israel under any future peace agreement, but the Palestinians consider them settlements and say construction there is illegal, a position backed by the international community.

Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967, and annexed east Jerusalem in a move that is not recognized internationally.

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of a pro-settler party, welcomed the announcement of the new units even as he criticized the top court's decision.

"The court's role is to judge; the government's role is to build," he said in a written statement. "We will build up the land of Israel, but in a legal and appropriate way."

PHOTO CAPTION

Hundreds of Jewish settlers gathered at the scene and some fought with Israeli forces who responded by firing water cannons [AFP]

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has pledged to win his country's long-running civil war while acknowledging his troops are struggling to maintain control over territory amid lack of manpower.

In a televised speech on Sunday before local dignitaries in Damascus, Assad tried to justify why the Syrian army has given up some areas of Syria, including the northwestern city of Idlib.

"It was necessary to specify critical areas for our armed forces to hang on to. Concern for our soldiers forces us to let go of some areas," he said.

"Every inch of Syria is precious."

Syria's army once had around 300,000 members, but it has been significantly reduced in size by deaths, defections, and a rise in draft dodging.

There is a lack of human resources ... Everything is available [for the army], but there is a shortfall in human capacity," Assad said.

"But that doesn't mean we can talk about collapse ... We will resist ... The armed forces are capable of defending the motherland."

The Syrian army has faced a series of battlefield setbacks since March: It lost most of Idlib to an opposition alliance including the Syrian al-Qaeda branch, the Nusra Front, and important areas of the southern border region to mainstream groups of the self-styled Southern Front.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group also seized the central city of Palmyra from the Syrian military in May.

'State of despair'

In the speech, Assad also said he supported any political dialogue to end his country's conflict, even if its effects are limited.

But he said any initiative that is not based on fighting "terrorism" will be "hollow" and "meaningless".

He said increased support from states backing opposition fighters, such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, was the reason for recent setbacks that had created "a state of despair" among Syrians.

Syria is in a war funded by the richest and most powerful states, Assad said.

Nevertheless, he struck a defiant tone, saying there would be no compromise solutions, and he dismissed the view that Syria was heading towards partition into areas run separately by his government and the armed groups fighting him.

The government's military setbacks have led to renewed pledges of support from Assad's main regional allies, the Shia government of Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside the Syrian army.

Assad said Iran's role was limited to the provision of military experts, while publicly crediting Hezbollah for its "important" and "effective" role for the first time.

Military reversals for Assad have ever more reduced his control beyond the main population centers of western Syria that comprise the cities of Damascus, Homs, Hama, and the coastal region forming the heartland of his Alawite sect.

PHOTO CAPTION

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivering a speech during a meeting with heads and members of public organizations, vocational syndicates, and chambers of industry, trade, agriculture and tourism. SANA HANDOUT / EPA

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general, has called an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss security at the request of Turkey after last week's suicide bombing there and ongoing Turkish security operations on two fronts.

NATO said in a statement on Sunday that the North Atlantic Council, which includes the ambassadors of all 28 NATO allies, would meet following a request by Turkey to hold consultations under Article 4 of NATO's founding Washington Treaty.

Turkey announced on Friday a double military offensive, one against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group across the border in Syria, and the other targeting Kurdish PKK fighters in northern Iraq.

"Turkey requested the meeting in view of the seriousness of the situation after the heinous terrorist attacks in recent days, and also to inform allies of the measures it is taking," NATO said.

"NATO allies follow developments very closely and stand in solidarity with Turkey."
In Article 4, members are encouraged to bring subjects to the table for discussion for political consultation.

Since the alliance's creation in 1949, NATO has been invoked several times, such as by Turkey in 2003 and in 2012, and Poland in 2014.

Patriot batteries

Germany, the Netherlands and the US each sent two Patriot anti-missile batteries and soldiers to operate them at the start of 2013 after Turkey asked for NATO help in increasing border security due to the civil war in Syria.

The jets, which hit targets in Hakurk, scrambled from the airbase in Diyarbakir, the sources said.

Earlier, Turkey's army blamed the "separatist terror organization" for a car bomb in Diyarbakir that killed two soldiers late on Saturday. Turkey never refers to the PKK by name.

The PKK's military wing, the People's Defense Forces (HPG), claimed the attack in a statement on its website but gave a much higher toll of eight soldiers killed.

The HPG said three more PKK fighters had been killed in Turkish air strikes on Saturday, after one was killed in the first wave.

The tensions in Turkey follow a suicide bombing in the southern town of Suruc earlier in the week that killed dozens of Kurdish activists.

Turkish authorities blamed ISIL for that attack.

Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkish prime minister, has said the military operations would not have a time-frame, indicating a prolonged offensive.

Ceasefire at risk

For its part, the PKK said the Turkish air strikes on its bases meant the government in Ankara had ended a fragile 2013 ceasefire between the two sides.

The PKK has for decades waged an armed campaign in Turkey's southeast that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

A peace process that began in 2013 has so far failed to yield a final deal.

Against this backdrop, Turkish police and protesters on Sunday engaged in clashes in the Istanbul district of Gazi, where a leftist activist was killed during police raids earlier this week.

Leftist protesters hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at the police who responded with water cannon and plastic bullets, an AFP correspondent said.

A police officer was shot in the chest from inside a building while he tried to make an arrest during clashes, the official Anatolia news agency said. He was rushed to hospital but died from his wounds.

Some in the Turkish opposition say they are concerned the governing AK Party's aims with new attacks on the PKK to stir up anti-Kurdish sentiment before a possible early election later this year.

Arab coalition forces have announced a five-day humanitarian pause in their military campaign against Houthi fighters in Yemen, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.

The suspension of air strikes - which will take effect at 11:59pm local time on Sunday - will allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the Arabian Peninsula country, SPA said on Saturday.

The statement said coalition forces would respond to any violation of the pause by the Iran-allied Houthis.

SPA said the decision was taken at the request of Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has taken refuge in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, with much of his government.

Hadi, whose supporters have recaptured most of the southern port of Aden from the Houthi fighters after four months of war, wanted the pause for the "delivery and distribution of the maximum amount of humanitarian and medical aid", SPA reported.

The two previous ceasefires brokered by the UN failed to take hold.

Late on Friday, coalition air strikes hit a residential area in a Red Sea town, killing at least 120 people, according to an Associated Press news agency report.

The attacks hit workers' housing for a power plant in Mokha, flattening some of the buildings to the ground, local security and medical officials said.

A fire erupted in the area, charring many of the corpses, including children, women and elderly people.

Some of the air strikes also hit nearby livestock pens. Human and animal blood pooled on the ground of the surrounding area.

Arab coalition officials could not be reached for comment.

It is not clear why the workers' housing was hit. Al Jazeera's sources confirmed that dozens of people had been killed but could not independently verify the death toll.

The UN has declared Yemen a level-three humanitarian emergency, the highest on its scale.

According to UN figures, more than 3,200 people have been killed since late March, when the Arab coalition began air strikes after the Houthis took over the reins of power in the country.

PHOTO CAPTION

The Arab coalition says its forces will respond to any violation of the humanitarian pause by Houthi fighters [AFP]

Turkey has launched more air raids against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria and against Kurdish fighters in Iraq.

Saturday's raids are the latest in a campaign that began early on Friday in response to a suicide bombing at a rally in the southern Turkish city of Suruc earlier in the week that killed dozens of Kurdish activists.

Turkey's targets included seven bases in northern Iraq belonging to the PKK, whose Syrian allies are fighting against ISIL.

Turkish officials appeared to be prepared for a long-term fight.

"Whenever we see a decrease in or the vanishing of the threat, then of course we will make a reassessment," Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish prime minister, said at a news conference.

"A third wave of operations are a part of this."

'Dangerous'

The PKK said the strikes on its bases meant the Turkish government had ended a fragile 2013 ceasefire between the two sides.

The president of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Masoud Barzani, spoke to Davutoglu over the telephone on Saturday and "expressed his displeasure with the dangerous level the situation has reached", according to a KRG statement.

"He requested that the issue not be escalated to that level because peace is the only way to solve problems and years of negotiations are better than one hour of war," the statement said.

"Mr Barzani is ready to do anything within his means to assuage this tension and go back to a situation of peace."

In a related development, Turkish police have been rounding up hundreds of suspected ISIL and Kurdish fighters in cities and towns across the country. As of Saturday, nearly 600 people had been detained.

Turkish police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse about 1,000 demonstrators who had gathered in the capital Ankara to protest against the military strikes.

Peace talks between the PKK and Turkey had started in 2012 but have stalled of late.

"The truce has no meaning any more after these intense air strikes by the occupant Turkish army," the PKK said on its website.

Bahtiyar Dogan, a PKK spokesperson in Iraq, told AFP news agency that one fighter was killed and three wounded in the air strikes, which he said started late on Friday and lasted through much of Saturday.

"We are still committed to the directives of our leader [Abdullah] Ocalan ... but it seems Erdogan wants to drag us back into war," Dogan said.

"When things reach this level and when all of our areas are bombed, I think by then the ceasefire has no meaning any more," he said, echoing the statement on the PKK website.

Turkey earlier this week approved the full use of its airbases by the US-led coalition against ISIL and has been pushing for areas in northern Syria cleared of ISIL fighters to become safe zones.

Turkish fighter jets on Friday morning began pounding ISIL targets in Syria, before following up with raids on PKK positions in Iraq.

The raids were in response to the suicide bombing in Suruc claimed by ISIL that killed 32 young Kurdish activists who were about to deliver aid to Syria's mainly Kurdish town of Kobane.

The PKK responded by killing two Turkish police officers, claiming they collaborated with ISIL in the bombing.

The five-year counter-extremism plan unveiled by Britain has drawn strong reactions from Muslim groups and non-governmental organizations in the country.

As part of the plan to be submitted to the parliament in the fall, the British government aims to prevent its citizens from leaving the country to join radical groups and confront home-grown extremism, namely "Islamist extremism".

"These people aren't just extremists, they are also despicable far-right groups too, and what links them all is their aim to groom young people and brainwash their minds," said Prime Minister David Cameron during a speech on Monday at a school in Birmingham.

However, several Muslim groups and NGOs in the country believe that Cameron's message and its plan could further isolate the British Muslim population.

Omar al-Hamdun, head of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), said Cameron's speech could be detrimental to Muslims in the U.K.

"For example, Cameron is right in his views on the need to counter-extremism but we think this strategy will cause more harm to British Muslims than good," he said.

Al-Hamdun stated that he did not agree with Cameron's remarks, in which he said "lots of Muslims do not identify themselves as Britons".

"Muslims are told that you should integrate and be part of the society. But when Muslims try to integrate and be part of the society, they are accused of entryism," he said.

"The British government encouraged Muslims to be governors. But when Muslims became governors and participated in politics, they tried to push Muslims away from the Trojan horse and accuse them of imposing their own political ideologies and Islam," he added.

Hamdun also criticized Cameron's aim to "further spread British values" -- which designates universal values such as rule of law, freedom of expression, and democracy -- as part of the newly unveiled plan, which he said itself contradicts to said "British values".

Raza Nadim -- spokesman of the human rights group Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC), which purports to lobby for an increased Muslim presence and representation in British politics -- told Anadolu Agency that the anti-extremism strategy was incorrect and would cause further problems.

"I don't think this policy is sincere and many Muslims listening to it think they are seen as a problem by the government," he said.

The British government's anti-extremism plan will also bring in some legislative proposals, which include the closure of certain religious venues and the ban of speeches by certain Muslim religious figures at universities and schools.

The head of the organization, which has reaped its share of controversy over the years -- it was for instance banned from university campuses in 2004, The Guardian reported, after the National Union of Students called it "anti-Semitic", a charge that MPAC refutes -- highlighted that the plan will cause nothing but further problems as Muslims will think they do not have the right to freely express their opinions in the British community.

Cameron vowed to use his country’s liberal values to challenge the "bigotry, oppression and theocracy" of such groups but said the authorities would be tougher in enforcing them.

"We have lacked the confidence to enforce our values," he said, adding there will be "no more turning a blind eye on the basis of cultural sensitivities".

"Our values are so great that we should want to enforce them for all, including new arrivals, including people subjected potentially to those practices,” he added

The government would take steps to prevent religious and ethnic segregation in Britain’s schools and on housing estates, Cameron added.

Mohammed Shafiq, head of the Ramadhan Foundation, also reacted to Cameron's speech in British daily The Guardian on Tuesday.

"The prime minister’s speech has made it all about Muslims, yet he has not engaged them about his counterterrorism strategy: if Muslims are central to defeating the poisonous narrative then why not engage the community?” he wrote.

The prime minister distanced himself from reports of expanded U.K. military involvement in Iraq or Syria, insisting any "boots on the ground" needed to be from those countries. However, he did not rule out further British air support against Daesh.

Lawmakers voted against military action in Syria two years ago, blocking a government proposal to join U.S.-led airstrikes against Daesh in Syria, although MPs did approve strikes against the group in Iraq.

Taamir and Afnaan sat with their parents in the living room having their lunch after Ramadan and ‘Eed had passed. Afnaan said to her father, "My father, why does Ramadan come only once?" The father replied, "I feel that you are attached to this blessed month, Afnaan." Taamir immediately said, "Yes, my father, we were competing in acts of worship and encouraging each other to pray and fast." The father then advised them saying, "You are right, but you should know that Allaah The Almighty accepts one's good deeds in Ramadan as well as in other months, and that the Lord of Ramadan is also the Lord of Shawwaal and all the other months."

Dear man who is responsible for the nurturing process, this simple dialogue between the father and his children expressed what goes on in the hearts of many children - even if their tongues do not translate it into explicit words and phrases. They feel that Ramadan has moved on with everything good in it.

Dear man who is responsible for the nurturing process, the month of the Quran and competition in good deeds has passed, but you must nevertheless teach your children that Ramadan is not the only month of worship that comes and leaves with its worship. No, rather, Ramadan is the month of change.

Building vs. outburst

Dear man who is responsible for the nurturing process, you must teach your children that Ramadan is the month of building faith, and not an outburst of faith. By an outburst of faith, I mean that the Muslim performs many acts of worship in Ramadan, and when it ends, he returns to his former state of negligence. Concerning this category of people, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): #{And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong.}## [Quran 16:92] This verse likens the relationship of a group of people with Allaah The Almighty to a woman who started spinning a garment, and when she finished and produced it in the best style and fashion, she untwisted the fibers to become thread again and destroyed all her work that she painstakingly done. Building, however, implies performing a new act of worship that we did not do before Ramadan and maintaining its performance throughout the year till the following Ramadan comes. By doing so, the Muslim is in a continuous state of development. This is because it is a sign that Allaah The Almighty has accepted man's act of worship when He favors him with continuous worship after it. In other words, being steadfast on an act of worship is a sign of its acceptance.

Dear honorable man who is responsible for the nurturing process, if we held several sessions in which we taught our children prayers, fasting, generosity and other acts of worship in the past blessed month, we would have successfully utilized the child's high susceptibility to learning and change in Ramadan. The sign of your success in changing your child, however, is his steadfastness on the act of worship that you taught him even after Ramadan.

The way to steadfastness

Dear honorable man who is responsible for the nurturing process, we know that the sign of your child's change in Ramadan is his steadfastness in doing an act of worship that had not previously done, like prayer. In order to help your child constantly observe the acts of worship after Ramadan, try to follow these major rules:

First: Be a good role model for him. It was said that, "An action of one man in front of one thousand men is more effective than the saying of a thousand men to one man." Your child will not constantly observe an act of worship unless you are performing it regularly. There is no harm in taking him with you when you pray, or informing him that you are fasting, so that he will take you as a role model and an example. You should know that the children's eyes are uninterruptedly pinned on the actions of their parents, and Allaah The Almighty forbade us from behaving differently from what we say; He The Almighty Says (what means): #{Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?}## [Quran 2:44]

Second: The Masjid (Mosque) is essential. Dear man who is responsible for the nurturing process, although you and your wife greatly influence your child, the influence of his friends is greater. This is because the child responds to his parents out of love and fear, but he responds to his friends in the Masjid out of love and conviction only. Furthermore, the believer increases one's faith when he gathers with others for worship. Allaah The Almighty addressed the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and every Muslim to stay with righteous people; He The Almighty Says (what means): #{And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.}## [Quran 18:28]

Practical tips to help your child be steadfast on worship

1- Use the method of praising whenever you see your child perform prayers regularly or hastening to do an act of worship that he began doing in Ramadan. It is preferable that you praise him before his friends and peers or during family gatherings. Praise has a great impact on the spirit of children. For instance, when the family gathers after Ramadan, tell them in his presence, "Do you know that Taamir started to pray since the past Ramadan and he learned it perfectly?"

2- Use the method of evaluation forms in which the child marks the box of the prayer he performs, and whenever his performance is steady and improving, you can reward him, even by giving him a simple gift.

3- Regularly remind him of the reward of the act of worship he has learnt and the great merit that Allaah The Almighty has prepared for the one who does it. Mention a Quranic verse or a Hadeeth concerning this act from time to time, and if you know a story of young Companions or Taabi‘oon (their successors) who constantly observed this worship, relate it to him.

Dear Muslim, if your child does not get anything from Ramadan except this act of worship that he has learned, you have attained a great achievement. May Allaah make your child a comfort for your eyes and the eyes of your wife!

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansaari, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan and then fasts six days of Shawwaal, it is as if he fasts the whole year." [Muslim]

It was narrated on the authority of Thawbaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Fasting Ramadan equals fasting ten months, and fasting six days [of Shawwaal] equals fasting two months. So both equal fasting the whole year." In another narration, he said: "Whoever fasts six days after breaking the fast [of Ramadan], it will be as if he fasted the whole year. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgment] with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof [to his credit].} [Quran 6:160]" [Ahmad, Ad-Daarimi, Ibn Maajah, and An-Nasaa’i] [Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibaan: Saheeh]

Benefits and rulings:

First: The virtue of fasting six days of the month of Shawwaal, and that whoever keeps fasts them regularly after the month of Ramadan will be as if he has observed fasting all his life. This is a huge merit and a great deed.

Second: The mercy of Allaah The Almighty towards His slaves and His giving them huge rewards for their small deeds.

Third: It is recommended to fast the six days immediately in response to the command of competing in righteous deeds and lest the Muslim misses them or something distracts himher from fasting them.

Fourth: It is permissible to fast the six days at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of Shawwaal, consecutively or interruptedly. All this is permissible, and whatever the Muslim chooses is permissible and worthy of reward should Allaah The Almighty accept it from him. [Al-Mughni and Sharh An-Nawawi]

Fifth: The Muslim who missed some days in Ramadan should make up for these days first and then fast the six days of Shawwaal based on the apparent meaning of the Hadeeth. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan…" which means fasting the whole month, and this does not apply to the Muslim who missed some days of Ramadan until he makes up for them. Moreover, freeing oneself from obligation is given precedence to doing a recommended act.

Sixth: Allaah The All-Wise made the obligatory acts of worship preceded and followed by voluntary ones, such as the confirmed Sunnah prayer before and after obligatory prayers as well as the permissibility of fasting during Sha‘baan and six days of Shawwaal while the obligatory fasting of Ramadan lies between them.

Seventh: Voluntary acts of worship compensate for the imperfection taking place in the obligatory acts of worship. The Muslim who is competent for religious assignment would definitely commit something which decreases the reward of his fast or blemishes it, such as unnecessary talk, uncontrolled looking, and the like.

The hadith is proof that the servant is obligated, after having Iman in Allah, to persevere and be steadfast upon obeying Him by performing the obligatory acts and avoiding the prohibited ones. This is achieved by following the Straight Path, which is the firm Religion without drifting away from it, to the right or to the left.

If the Muslim lives through Ramadan and spent his days in fasting and his nights in prayer and he accustomed himself to doing acts of good, then he must continue to remain upon this obedience to Allah at all times. This is the true state of the slave, for indeed, the Lord of the months is One and He is ever Watchful and Witnessing over His servants at all times.

Indeed, steadfastness after Ramadan and the rectification of one's statements and actions are the greatest signs that one has gained benefit from the month of Ramadan and striven in obedience. They are tokens of reception and signs of success.

Furthermore, the deeds of a servant do not come to an end with the end of a month and the beginning of another, rather they continue and extend until he reaches death. Allah says: "And worship your Lord until the certainty (death) comes to you." [al-Hijr: 99]

If the fasting of Ramadan comes to an end, then indeed the voluntary fasting is still prescribed throughout the entire year. If standing in prayer at night during Ramadan comes to an end, then indeed, the entire year is a time for performing the night prayer. And if the Zakat-ul-Fitr comes to an end, then there is still the Zakah that is obligatory as well as the voluntary charity that lasts the whole year. This goes the same for reciting the Qur'an and pondering over its meaning as well as every other righteous deed that is sought, for they can be done at all times. From the many bounties that Allah has bestowed upon his servants is that He has placed for them many different types of righteous acts and provided many means for doing good deeds. Therefore, the ardor and zeal of the Muslim must be constant and he must continue to remain in the service of his Lord.

It is unfortunate to find that some people perform worship by doing different types of righteous deeds during Ramadan. They guard strictly upon their five daily prayers in the masjid, they recite the Qur'an a lot and they give in charity from their wealth. But when Ramadan comes to an end, they grow lazy in their worship. Rather, sometimes they even abandon the obligations, both generally, such as praying in congregation, and specifically, such as praying the fajr prayer.

And they commit forbidden acts such as sleeping over the time of prayers, indulging in places of foolishness and entertainment, and mingling in parks, especially on the day of Eid. Obtaining help from these evils is only through the grace of Allah. Thus, they demolish what they have constructed and destroy what they have established. This is an indication of deprivation and a sign of perdition. We ask Allah for His safeguarding and protection.

Indeed, this type of people take the example of turning in repentance and ceasing from committing evil deeds as something specific and restricted to the month of Ramadan. And they stop doing these (good) acts when the month stops. Thus, it is as if they have abandoned sinning for the sake of Ramadan, and not out of fear of Allah. How evil are these people who do not know Allah, except in Ramadan!

Truly, the success that Allah grants His servant lies in the fasting of Ramadan. His assisting him to do that is a great favor thus the calls for the servant to be grateful to his Lord. This understanding can be found in the statement of Allah after completing the favor of the month of fasting: "(He wants that you) must complete the same number of days, and that you must magnify Allah (by saying Allahu Akbar) for having guided you, so that you may be grateful to Him." [2:185]

The one, who is grateful for having fasted, will remain upon that condition and continue to perform righteous deeds.

Verily, the true way of the Muslim is that of one who praises and thanks his Lord for giving him the ability to fast and make qiyam. His condition after Ramadan is better than it was before Ramadan. He is more receptive to obey, desiring to do good deeds and quick to enforce the obligatory acts. This is because he has gained benefit form this prominent institute of learning. It is that of one who fears for having his fast not accepted, for indeed Allah only accepts from those who fear Him.

The righteous predecessors would struggle to complete and perfect their deeds, hoping afterwards, that it would be accepted and fearing that it would be rejected. From the reports of Ali (May Allah be pleased with him), "Be more concerned with having your deeds accepted than the deed itself. Did you not hear Allah say: 'Verily Allah only accepts those from those who fear Him. (i.e., possess taqwa)." [5:27] "[Lata'if ul Ma`aarif, p. 246]

`Aa'ishah said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah concerning the ayah: 'And the one who are given what they are given and their hearts tremble with fear.' Are they the ones who drink alcohol and steal?" He said: "No, o daughter of as-Siddiq. Rather, they are the ones who fast and pray and give in charity, yet fear that it won't be accepted from them. They are the ones who rush to do good deeds and they are the first to do them." [Sahih Sunan at-Tirmithi 3/79-80]

So, be warned and again be warned of turning backward after having attained guidance of going astray after persevering. And ask Allah to provide you with duration in doing righteous deeds and continuity in performing good acts. And ask Allah that He grant you a good end, so that He may accept our Ramadan from us.